EasyOS version 2.3.2, June 22, 2020

[tigs]

I want to install multiple copies on a hard drive

There is an explanation here.....
http://bkhome.org/easy/how-to-install-e ... drive.html

The important thing is the editing of the boot specs file.

That is what I followed. What I wanted is to add another version on top of the one, making it a dual boot, for example, if want to have both pyro and xenius there.

[Cu Chulinux]

Barry, when I upgraded I didn't expect it to default to modesetting but I was surprised that it defaulted to intel uga when I was using intel sna previously. I figured that it would continue with the same settings as the previous version before upgrading. The icon set also changed back to green which also was surprising. Nothing else that I changed was changed back.

[BarryK]

Thanks for that explanation. I changed the sdb1 initrd.gz init script to wait up to 30 seconds. In 5 reboots, 4 took 9 seconds, but 1, 18! So, maybe a 10- or 20-second maximum wait would be safer than 8.

Ok, I have changed it to 20.

Weird that it should take so long.

[BarryK]

I want to install multiple copies on a hard drive

There is an explanation here.....
http://bkhome.org/easy/how-to-install-e ... drive.html

The important thing is the editing of the boot specs file.

That is what I followed. What I wanted is to add another version on top of the one, making it a dual boot, for example, if want to have both pyro and xenius there.

That link has some description of reFind. You can modify the menu, to either automatically discover other OSs, or enter them manually.

If you have another Linux installed into another partition, reFind should be able to find it automatically.

Trying to recall... there is a caveat with reFind. If you have another Linux installed in another partition, you will need to copy the kernel (and initrd.gz if used) into the boot partition (the fat partition where reFind is installed), and give them unique names. Then maybe create a manual menu entry.

[Cu Chulinux]

Tigs, you should be able to boot multiple copies by having separate subdirectories for the boot files (editing the EFI/BOOT/refind.conf to match) and having separate partitions for the two versions.

I have both Easy and Quirky booting from EFI menu doing essentially this (and Tiny Core too), except I left the Easy boot files in root directory and use a subdir for Quirky. I just don't have Quirky running stable enough.

I also have puppies running from my Windows partition using Lick.

[BarryK]

Right, I think that's it, all of EasyOS Pyro64 0.9 uploaded!

As of yesterday afternoon, rsync at ibiblio.org still wasn't working properly, so all uploaded got done with gFTP, which uploaded at speeds fro 10 to 26 KB/sec (compared with up to 500KB/sec I was getting before with rsync).

Download:

http://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/ ... /pyro/0.9/

Here is the blog announcement, with lots of links:

http://bkhome.org/news/201804/easyos-py ... eased.html

[Billtoo]

I did a new install of 0.9.0 modesetting to a 64gb flash drive for use on my hp
desktop:

video-info-glx 1.5.3 Sun 15 Apr 2018 on Easy Pyro64 0.9 Linux 4.14.32 x86_64
0.0 VGA compatible controller:
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Redwood PRO [Radeon HD 5550/5570/5630/6510/6610/7570]
oem: ATI ATOMBIOS
product: REDWOOD 01.00

X Server: Xorg Driver: radeon
X.Org version: 1.19.1
dimensions: 3840x1080 pixels (1013x285 millimeters)
depth of root window: 24 planes

direct rendering: Yes
server glx vendor string: SGI
server glx version string: 1.4
OpenGL vendor string: X.Org
OpenGL renderer string: Gallium 0.4 on AMD REDWOOD (DRM 2.50.0 / 4.14.32, LLVM 3.9.1)
OpenGL version string: 2.1 Mesa 17.0.7

AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1045T Processor
Core 0: @813 1: @800 2: @865 3: @835 4: @800 5: @811 MHz

I ran the installer from my lapop install to the 64gb flash drive, when
I booted the new install on my hp it scanned the drives and began to
create the filesystem on the second partition of the drive, when it
finished it gave an error about "version mismatch", it was working on
the 32gb flash drive install of 0.8.5 instead of the 64gb flash drive
that I booted from.
I shut down the computer and unplugged the 0.8.5 drive and rebooted
from the 0.9.0 drive, it worked properly then and I finished setting up
the new 0.9.0 install.

I ran xorgwizard and switched to the radeon driver,added some pets,the
devx and kernel source sfs files,also added Palemoon web browser.

It's working well now,
Thanks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDIT: I had a 7 port usb hub connected to this pc and that was causing
problems.
I now have Pyro64-0.9.0 booting from the 64gb flash drive (from the bios
boot menu) it defaults to Xubuntu-18.04 Beta-2 from the hard drive.

My 64gb flash drive has changed from f1 f2 to b1 b2 but it's working
well.

[tigs]

Tigs, you should be able to boot multiple copies by having separate subdirectories for the boot files (editing the EFI/BOOT/refind.conf to match) and having separate partitions for the two versions.

I have both Easy and Quirky booting from EFI menu doing essentially this (and Tiny Core too), except I left the Easy boot files in root directory and use a subdir for Quirky. I just don't have Quirky running stable enough.

I also have puppies running from my Windows partition using Lick.

Thank you all! Will try once I have some time.

Regards,

[upnorth]

Installed 0.9 to microsd 4gig via gzip/dd, first boot was good with internet, graphics, audio all working. Second boot now, with all working.

easy-0.9-amd64.img.gz

[Rodney Byne]

Barry's right, being experimental there are no
guarantees using containers.
I found from experience they are not robust,
they are frail and easily accidentally deleted if
mishandled.
I'm not sure what happened but I manually
deleted an experimental item of mine sitting
adjacent to the SM in a container, then both container
and SM disappeared never to be seen again.
No hard coded right-click backup delete safeguards
- don't DO that whoops too late.

Barry's tutorials in the main are for advanced compilers,
not for inexperienced casual users.
Just look at those block diagrams.
We've come a long way from Precise 5.7.1

The practical stuff we really need to know to make
things work properly are missed out or glossed over.
Experts know but take sh & sh0 for example in container
gui's, how are they used in plain english.
Remastering steps are a minefield to the nervous unwary,
best avoided.

This OS has such a complex cutting edge file structure,
take great care it's like walking on eggshells, tread carefully
so delicate.

Sorry Barry I felt I had to write all this.
Best regards.

[Sage]

...OS has such a complex cutting edge file structure...

You are right, RB, but the real problem is the name ' Easy'. Yes, fairly easy to get running (but not using dd which is as much a mystery to neophytes as most other CLI - use USBWriter from one of the major distros), difficult to understand the intricacies and limitations. The Forum gurus are, predictably delighted by this complex offering from the arch-guru. Probably a smaller, faster, more limited bog-std version complete with .iso as well as .img (not .img.gz - most of the folk I help don't understand it needs to be extracted, never mind how to do that!), with limited aspirations and capabilities? My experience is that the eyes of the unwashed glaze over when presented with an how-to. Having said all that, many still struggle on with the bent, broken and expensive offerings from Redmond and switch on their mobiles instead...

[tigs]

Installed 0.9 to microsd 4gig via gzip/dd, first boot was good with internet, graphics, audio all working. Second boot now, with all working.

easy-0.9-amd64.img.gz

How do you manage to boot from an SD card? My laptop has a SD card slot, but it is recognized as a bootable device. I was told because it is PCIe interface. Do I have a chance to get it to boot?

thanks

[upnorth]

Hi Tigs:
I booted with a 10 year old card reader tethered to usb port. Then used the uefi bios menu via F12 on this machine. I have heard of others having trouble with the "built in" card readers on some machines. So maybe somebody knows how to get it working?

But, check through your bios setup for possible solution.

[lp-dolittle]

Hi Tigs,

faced with the same problem as you mention here, I realised, some time ago, that I can boot my elderly laptops from SD-cards if I insert them into an external card reader that is connected to the laptop (mainboard?) via a USB-interface.

Hope this 'simple' method also works in your case

[lp-dolittle]

Hi Barry,

thank you for the EasyOS 0.9 release!

I installed the 'MODESETTING'-version on an SD-card.

As for the initial Quicksetup, I'm still facing similar XKB-related problems as – previously reported - with your Quirkies. The Swiss-German keyboard-layout setting still requires some inexplicable XKB fiddling, depending on the graphics chipset, but the final settings now survive restarts. The Video Wizard seems to work perfectly.

Rodney Byne's comment on the containers' robustness certainly should be kept in view, but I do not agree with the opinion that your tutorials are too complicated. Understanding well the standpoints of Rodney Byne and Sage, I tend to believe that explanations cannot be simplified 'ad infinitum', and expecting to attract the attention of totally uninterested OS-users might be an illusion .... such people never will be able to be fascinated with Puppy, Quirky or EasyOS

kind regards

[belham2]

Hi all,

Speaking of Seamonkey and browsers, has anyone gotten ANY other browser to work properly in a Container? I've tried Palemoon, Firefox, Chromium and Chrome, and not one of them will run properly in a Container. They'll run as user and/or as root (depending on browser), but not in a Container for any of them.

I mentioned this problem back in Easy 0.6, and I still cannot lick it. Is it because I run Easy as a "frugal-install"? I mean, the browsers would work in a Container if I did a "full" install to a USB and/or SD Card??

Anyway, in "frugal" mode, no matter how many times I install a browser, then use Easy to set the Container up, which it says it does, that browser is NOT running in a Container.

Wish I could figure it out...

[BarryK]

I'm not sure what happened but I manually
deleted an experimental item of mine sitting
adjacent to the SM in a container, then both container
and SM disappeared never to be seen again.
No hard coded right-click backup delete safeguards
- don't DO that whoops too late.

I would like to know exactly what you did!

Also, "disappeared" is so vague. What do you mean? Wouldn't SM start? -- I presume that is what you mean.

You can repair a broken container very easily, at least in theory, I have never actually had to do it...

Just go to the menu Filesystem -> Easy Version Control, down at the bottom of the window there is a button to erase the session (that is, erase the read-write layer) of a container. It should get you back to a pristine container.

[BarryK]

Hi all,

Speaking of Seamonkey and browsers, has anyone gotten ANY other browser to work properly in a Container? I've tried Palemoon, Firefox, Chromium and Chrome, and not one of them will run properly in a Container. They'll run as user and/or as root (depending on browser), but not in a Container for any of them.

I mentioned this problem back in Easy 0.6, and I still cannot lick it. Is it because I run Easy as a "frugal-install"? I mean, the browsers would work in a Container if I did a "full" install to a USB and/or SD Card??

Anyway, in "frugal" mode, no matter how many times I install a browser, then use Easy to set the Container up, which it says it does, that browser is NOT running in a Container.

Wish I could figure it out...

I have written that one into my to-do list!

There was a problem reported earlier, that if you install a package, say a PET, it will not run in a container.
Only those apps that are builtin to the q.sfs will run in a container.

I plan to fix this in the next release.

A container is a simple aufs layered filesystem, with q.sfs on the bottom, and a read-write layer, just a folder, on the top layer.
Hence, the only apps available to run are those in the q.sfs.

There are various possible ways to fix this. The one I am thinking of using, is to convert the installed package, say firefox, into a SFS file, say firefox.sfs, and inserting that as a middle layer in the container.

This can be done automatically when the container is created.

[rufwoof]

Hi Barry.

If you want to extend http://bkhome.org/easy/how-to-write-eas ... drive.html to also include some guidance for writing the image from a Open BSD perspective ...

Download the easy image file and then verify its md5

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# md5 easy-0.9-amd64.img.gz

and verify that the output matches that in the md5.txt file as published on the download web page.

Plug in a MMC card and then use dmesg | grep MMC to identify the SD/MMC (alternatively grep for Flash ... or whatever removable device you are using).

In my case that showed sd3 i.e.

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# dmesg | grep MMC

produced a output of

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sd3 at scsibus2 targ 1 lun 2: <Generic-, SD/MMC, 1.00> SCSI0 0/direct removable

Run disklabel on that i.e in my case

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# disklabel sd3

and my 2GB MMC showed (that first line /dev/rsd3c is what we're interested in)

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# /dev/rsd3c:
type: SCSI
disk: SCSI disk
label: SD/MMC          
duid: 0000000000000000
flags:
bytes/sector: 512
sectors/track: 63
tracks/cylinder: 255
sectors/cylinder: 16065
cylinders: 246
total sectors: 3964928
boundstart: 0
boundend: 3964928
drivedata: 0 

16 partitions:
#                size           offset  fstype [fsize bsize   cpg]
  c:          3964928                0  unused                    
  i:          3962880             2048  ext2fs                    
obsd#

The first line indicates the device i.e. /dev/rsd3c in my case above, so I can write the easy image to that.

First unzip the file

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# gunzip easy-0.9-amd64.img.gz

and then dd it to the MMC card

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dd if=easy-0.9-amd64.img of=/dev/rsd3c bs=1M

... be patient, do something else or go off and make a cup of tea whilst the dd writes.

Afterwards run sync just to make sure all I/O has been flushed

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# sync

You can then reboot to load/run that. In my case, a BIOS PC setup I have to press F12 key during the boot process to bring up a boot medium selection list, from which I use the up/down arrow keys to select the SD/MMC device and then press ENTER.

First boot takes longer than usual because it does some more dd'ing type activity i.e. prepares remaining space still available on the MMC.

X didn't start straight off in my case and I had to run xorgwizard and select my graphics card (Radeon) and resolution (1440x900) and then verify that and run xwin to start X.

Initial defaults were hard on the eye for me, black text on green background. So after the default setting up it was straight to MENU, DESKTOP, JWM Desk Manager to start tweaking things. Posting the attached first-run screen capture from within the container version of seamonkey (after having copied the file across from the outer (non contained) level /mnt/wkg/home/media/images to /mnt/sdd2/containers/seamonkey/container/home folders) ... so that the contained seamonkey was able to see/upload that file.

I opine that a very new user wouldn't take to the theme/colours and perhaps as in my case small font interface that is initially seen, and the inexperienced would struggle initially with finding what and where to tweak things to improve upon that. A larger/clearer default initial theme would vastly simplify that. But that's just my opinion. Otherwise great.

[Sage]

0.9VESA: Seems to work OK - boots straight into visible screen. But, curious when switching to multiple core machines it wants to run all the 'front end' boot processes again. This is not helpful for my stable which has a plethora of cpu core numbers. Sometimes, I just want to check out a machine is functional - testing is the most valuable asset for a 'portable' OS.